A longtime NBA broadcaster is getting ready to retire after a career that spans over 55 years. Marv Albert announced on Monday he will end his run as a broadcaster following the NBA playoffs, which begins this week. The final games he will call will be the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals on TNT.
“My 55 years of broadcasting the NBA has just flown by and I’ve been fortunate to work with so many wonderful and talented people,” Albert said in a press release. “Now, I’ll have the opportunity to hone my gardening skills and work on my ballroom dancing.” During the Eastern Conference Finals, Turner Sports will present a 30-minute tribute to Albert while celebrating come of the most memorable calls from his career throughout the playoffs.
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A legendary career 👏
Hall of Fame broadcaster Marv Albert announces his retirement following TNT’s coverage of 2021 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. pic.twitter.com/2UyTfaG53y
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 17, 2021
“There is no voice more closely associated with NBA basketball than Marv Albert’s,” Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner, said in a statement. “My first memories of the NBA were of listening to Marv call a game with his signature style, iconic phrases and unparalleled passion. From his remarkable run as play-by-play announcer for the Knicks to his prominent national roles calling our marquee games on NBC and Turner Sports, Marv has been the soundtrack for basketball fans for nearly 60 years. We congratulate him on a Hall of Fame career that is simply unmatched.”
Albert, 79, began his career in 1963 as a protege of radio legend Marty Glickman before taking over for him as the voice of the New York Rangers in 1965 and the New York Knicks in 1967. In 1968, Albert shouted his famous “Yes!” call after Knicks guard Dick Barnett banked a jump shot during the team’s playoff run.
In 1986, Albert started calling games for the Knicks on their television broadcasts. He worked for NBC Sports from 1977-97 and 2000-02, serving as the play-by-play voice for the NBA on NBC in 1990. Albert has also called college basketball, NFL, NHL, MLB and boxing events for NBC. He was also was a play-by-play announcer for the NFL on CBS from 2011-2014 and the voice of Westwood One Radio’s coverage of Monday Night Football from 2002-2009.
Albert has been with Turner Sports for 22 years, including 19 as an NBA play-by-play announcer. He also called games during the NCAA Tournament (2011-2015), Wimbledon Championships (200-02) and the Goodwill Games in 2001. Albert was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2015.
